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Tag Archives: broccoli

Broccoli Crunch Salad

05 Monday Jan 2015

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Easy, Entertaining, Salad, Side Dish

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

almonds, apple cider vinegar, bacon, broccoli, currants, green onion, honey, lemon, mayo, red onion, salad, stone grain mustard

Broccoli Crunch Salad

One of the things in life that I really excel at, seriously, I don’t even have to try – is making healthy things not so healthy anymore. But I am also dangerously good at convincing people (mostly myself) that the un-healthified meal in question is basically like eating plain lettuce.

Broccoli Salad

The real moral of the story here is that for this ridiculous dialog to be happening, there has to be a sliver of healthy goodness in there. I don’t scream out, “HEY, IT’S VEGGIE!” when I’m shoving my face at Burgerville eating my favorite Spicy Anasazi Bean Burger. I usually know when to shut up and just enjoy it. But at least I don’t get the double bacon cheeseburger….

Broccoli Salad

So anyways, this broccoli salad, yeah. It’s pretty good. No, we aren’t eating plain broccoli here, we are throwing on some creamy dressing and bacon. But broccoli is going to steal the show no matter how much we try to trash this up.

Broccoli Crunch Salad

This is a riff on those broccoli salads you have at Bridal Showers, Summer BBQ’s, and the stuff you pick up for lunch from the deli counter. Since first making this, it’s been requested by Jordan for his work lunches several times. However, if you are bringing it to work, you may want to leave out the garlic in the dressing and those red onions out of the salad…Broccoli + garlic + onions can be pretty potent, if you know what I mean. Your call though, it’s really tasty either way!

Recipe
Broccoli Crunch Salad
Serves 6 to 8
by Baked Northwest

Ingredients

for the dressing:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

for the salad:
2 heads broccoli, cut into bite sized florets (you can also trim and cube the stems for use in this salad)
8 ounces (about half of a regular sized package) bacon, cooked and chopped into bit size pieces
1/2 cup slivered almonds (can substitute peanuts or cashews)
1/3 cup Zante currants (can sub dried cranberries)
1/4 cup diced red onions (optional)
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Place all dressing ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Base amounts on how thin you like your dressing. If you like a thicker dressing, add 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Like it thinner? Add about 2 tablespoons. If you want a sweeter dressing, add more honey, if you need a little zing, add some lemon juice! We eyeball ours and it comes out a little different each time, but it’s always delicious.

2. Place broccoli florets and all other salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl and top with dressing. Fold together until fully combined.

3. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

4. Toss salad before serving. This salad is great to make ahead and save for work lunches, but it’s always a hit at parties too!

Ginger Soy Broccoli

11 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Easy, Entertaining, Meatless Monday, Side Dish, Vegetarian

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

almonds, broccoli, garlic, ginger, lime, sasame oil, sesame seeds, soy

Ginger Soy BroccoliI have been looking for a go-to broccoli dish that can easily be paired with Asian dishes. This, my friends, is it! Really simple and easy, I know I’ll be making this again.

Ginger Soy Broccoli

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Fresh Herb and Tofu Curry

29 Thursday May 2014

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Seattle, Soups, Vegetarian

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

baby corn, bamboo shoots, basil, broccoli, carrots, cilantro, coconut milk, curry, fish sauce, garlic, green beans, lemongrass, mint, mushrooms, peppers, shallots, sriracha, tofu, yellow curry

Herb and Tofu CurryOne of my later-in-life food discoveries was yellow curry. I had never really had it, or thought to order it, until my first job out of college. We ordered a lot of takeout…one of the places down the street was the diviest looking joint ever. Like, I would never go in there on a whim. BUT we had a “house account” there where we didn’t even have to use a credit card, they would just send us a bill in the mail…weird, right?Herb and Tofu Curry

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Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Goat Cheese

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Entertaining, Main Dish, Sauces, Side Dish, Steak, Weeknight Meals

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

balsamic, broccoli, broiler, dill, filet mignon, goat cheese, horse radish, mashed potatoes, steak

If you happen to be with your “average” American male, chances are he probably likes steak. A lot. I find that it is nice, every so often, to make your man a steak. I mostly think this because 99.9% of the time we eat steak, Jordan is the one grilling it.

The $75 Steakhouse Dinner: Filet Mignon, roasted broccoli, horseradish and dill mashed potatoes, and a double dirty martini. All made relatively quick on a Wednesday night. Boom!

The $75 Steakhouse Dinner: Filet Mignon, roasted broccoli, horseradish and dill mashed potatoes, and a double dirty martini. All made relatively quick on a Wednesday night. Boom!

For some reason, this recipe feels so 1950’s to me, because you put the steaks under the broiler. When I first cooked them, I was nervous they would be disappointing (like when you compare a pan-fried McDonald’s Burger to a char-broiled Whopper). However, this is not the case. It may be that you can’t go wrong when cooking quality steak with butter…But I am just going to go back to picturing myself as a 50’s housewife. Continue reading →

Pasta Primavera.

26 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by BakedNorthwest in Healthy, LuLu's Classics, Main Dish, Pasta

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

asparagus, blanch, broccoli, butter, cream, dinner, memories, mushrooms, new york times, parmesan, parsley, pasta primavera, peas, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, salt, spaghetti, spring, summer, tomatoes, vegetables, zucchini

My mom (the famous LuLu) had been planning on visiting for a girl’s weekend for about a month. At the very inception of these plans, my aunt said, “Let’s make pasta primavera.” I had heard of it, but couldn’t remember ever having it. The “retro” recipe is long and laborious, but so worth it. Now that I know our personal family history of it, I can’t wait to make it again.

Classic Pasta Primavera

As the days drew closer to my mom’s visit, I started asking more about the dish. She said, “Grammy started making it around the time we were in college. It was something we would eat in the spring or summer.” She then told me I could find the recipe in a New York Times article if I googled it. I didn’t realize Pasta Primavera was such a huge deal back in the day.  No surprise though, that Grammy was on the cutting edge of what to cook, long before Food Network, Pinterest, or blogs. It made me smile.

almost ready to eat...

Don't forget the parmesan cheese!

So, mid-afternoon on a Saturday after pedicures, the three of us girls started making the dish. We found parts of the New York Times Recipe to be a bit unclear, but hey, Ina can’t write every recipe out there.

Blanching the cooked broccoli

We blanched a lot of vegetables, all separately.

More blanched veggies. After the initial rinse, we started adding them all to bowls with ice cubes to keep them cold.

Fresh Cubed Tomatoes

cooked mushrooms with parsley, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper.

After blanching, the veggies go back on the stove.

Though delicious and worth every step, this is not a recipe you want to make if you don’t have many pots or pans, or don’t feel like doing a ton of dishes later. Wait, scratch that. Go out and buy more pots and pans, and make someone who loves you do the dishes. Problem solved!

See, tons of pots and pans. But how good does this all look?

We made a double recipe, so we had a little trouble fitting all the veggies into one pan.

The final touch before serving - toasted pine nuts. drooling.

When we finally sat down to eat, I was so happy. Surrounded by some of the people I love the most, with a plate of pasta you can feel good about eating. Pasta Primavera was more than a trendy dish made decades ago, but clearly brought back fond memories of Grammy for my mom and aunt. They said it tasted just like they remembered it. They wondered how she did it all by herself, never complaining or asking for help. It may have took the three of us to make it, but Grammy would have been proud.

The last few bites...

Recipe

Pasta Primavera

  • 1 bunch broccoli
  • 2 small zucchini, unpeeled
  • 4 asparagus spears
  • 1 1/2 cups green beans
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 3/4 cup fresh or frozen pea pods
  • 1 tablespoon peanut, vegetable or corn oil
  • 2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon minced hot red or green chili, or 1/2 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 cups 1-inch tomato cubes
  • 6 basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, approximately
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts.

1. Trim broccoli and break into florets. Trim off ends of the zucchini. Cut into quarters, then cut into 1-inch or slightly longer lengths (about 1 1/2 cups). Cut each asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Trim beans and cut into 1-inch pieces.

2. Cook each of the green vegetables separately in boiling salted water to cover until crisp but tender. Drain well, then run under cold water to chill, and drain again thoroughly. Combine the cooked vegetables in a bowl.

3. Cook the peas and pods; about 1 minute if fresh; 30 seconds if frozen. Drain, chill with cold water and drain again. Combine with the vegetables.

4. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 2 minutes, shaking the skillet and stirring. Add the chili and parsley. Stir, add the mixture to the vegetables.

5. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and add half the garlic. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook about 4 minutes. Add the basil.

6. In a separate pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and add the remaining garlic and the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring gently, until heated through.

7. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until almost (but not quite) tender, retaining a slight resilience in the center. Drain well.

8. In a pot large enough to hold the spaghetti and vegetables, add the butter and melt over medium-low heat. Then add the chicken broth and half a cup each of cream and cheese, stirring constantly. Cook gently until smooth. Add the spaghetti and toss quickly to blend. Add half the vegetables and pour in the liquid from the tomatoes, tossing over very low heat.

9. Add the remaining vegetables. If the sauce seems dry, add 3 to 4 tablespoons more cream. Add the pine nuts and give the mixture a final tossing.

10. Serve equal portions of the spaghetti mixture in hot soup or spaghetti bowls. Spoon equal amounts of the tomatoes over each serving. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a main course; 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

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